Sara’s Story
At only 9 years old, Sara is already a nationally recognized elite cheerleader! She is on multiple cheerleading teams, and has been scouted by coaches all over the country. Each summer, she attends various skill camps and cheer competitions. Her talent is undeniable! Sara’s mom even likes to joke that Sara is a cheerleader through and through- cheerful, perky, and most of all- loud!
But lately Sara has been having a tough time finding anything to cheer about, as one of her fathers has been diagnosed with a complex form of skin cancer. Suddenly, everything in Sara’s life felt different. Her Mom was now always busy, and her other Dad was working extra shifts to help support the family. And something else was different too - Sara’s father’s skin. He didn’t look like himself anymore. In fact, he didn’t look like anyone Sara has ever seen, and that scared her a little.
Sara’s family noticed that Sara was struggling with all these changes. She rarely smiled. She started to fall behind in school. She complained of being bored and lonely. And things that used to bring her joy, like cheerleading and playing with her toys, suddenly didn’t seem as fun anymore. That’s when they decided to contact Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Sara and her Big Sister Melanie have now been matched for almost a year. During this time, Sara’s father has had a litany of hospitalizations and treatments. It was a very difficult time for everyone, but Sara in particular found herself having a lot of anxiety around her father’s skin. She was afraid of the way it looked, the way it smelled, and she found herself constantly worrying that she might accidentally hurt him. Sara felt like she couldn’t talk to her family about these feelings, because she didn’t want to offend anyone, or come off as judgmental. But with Melanie, Sara felt comfortable talking about her father’s skin, and how it looked a little scary these days. Melanie has been a pillar of strength for Sara. By making a safe space for Sara, and Sara has been feeling more like her bright, peppy self!
Sara’s mother is so grateful to have Melanie as Sara’s Big. Bianca is a former Little herself, and is still in contact with her Big all these years later! Even though Sara lives in a house with three parents, the recent cancer situation has monopolized nearly all of the adult’s time, and Bianca was worried that Sara wasn’t getting enough attention. With Melanie around, Sara gets to have fun outings, work on her social skills, and continue to make happy childhood memories.
